By: Dave Ellens, President, South Dakota Corn Growers Association
When I thought to myself, “What is my ethanol story?” my mind didn’t go to what ethanol has done for myself, but I thought about what ethanol has done for my family and my community. I thought about when the ethanol industry exploded in the early 2000’s and how that changed the trajectory of my life.
I have always said, I don’t think I would have gone back to the farm if it wasn’t for the opportunity ethanol brought to agriculture. When I graduated from SDSU in 2009, the ethanol industry was booming, and corn and soybean prices were coming off levels we had never seen before. However, the U.S. economy was in the Great Recession, and my plan was to set out and get a job off the farm, but most businesses were on a hiring freeze. At the same time, our family farm was seeing profits we’d never seen before. Along with that, our hometown of Wentworth, South Dakota, had a thriving farmer-owned ethanol plant in Dakota Ethanol, which also helped basis levels in our area. This new market opened the door for me to come back home to the farm and raise a family in the community I grew up in.
In 2016, I married my wife Karli, and we have been fortunate enough to add 4 daughters to our family, twins Juliet and Luella (7), Sophie (6), and Willa (3). We love raising our children on the farm, teaching them about agriculture and the meaning of hard work. They are blessed with great teachers and facilities at Madison elementary school. The kids are involved in gymnastics, dance, tee ball, softball, and golf. We are involved in our local church. My wife is a registered nurse at our local rural hospital. Our family loves being right where we are and the community we are a part of.
Not only do we benefit from living in a rural community, but our community also benefits from its families. Families like mine are buying vehicles from the local car dealership, we are buying groceries at the local grocery store, eating at local restaurants, and shopping downtown. I have always said agriculture is the horsepower behind our rural economies, and our farm families have proven when farmers thrive, the community thrives.
I was blessed with the opportunity to come back home and raise my family in a farming community that has instilled lifelong qualities in my children. Ethanol might not be 100% to credit for where our family landed, but I can say with 100% certainty it has created a better life for my family and community from its impact on our industry.